Style

It’s one of the most wonderful times of year! Did you know that Nordstrom sells more during this event than during the holidays? That’s insane! This year I was a bit more wise about what I spent my money on. It could be because I’m older, wiser, and have other bills to pay for. I was really looking for some trendy items that I didn’t want to spend full price on. Ready to see what I bought? Let’s get started….

Asics Gel-Nimbus 19 Running Shoe | Nordstrom $119.90/after sale $159.95: Since I have been doing Orangetheory Fitness a few times a week, I have been having to replace my shoes every year or so. My current shoes are starting to loose the cushion so I figured this was a great time to buy some new ones. I love the color and Asics are great shoes. I have flat feet so I need a bit more support and these seem to do that. Can’t wait to try these on the treadmill!

PUMA Leadcat Logo Slide Sandal | Nordstrom $25.90/after sale $39.95: I have been eyeing shoes like these for awhile. It’s been a huge trend. I would LOVE to get the GUCCI ones but adulting means making difficult choices. I do not NEED the Gucci ones. These black slides fit the bill and will get me to Soulcycle classes and back (which is exactly what I will be using them for). They run big – I am usually a 9/9.5 and got these in 8.5. FYI – they only run in half sizes.

HALOGEN Button Back Ruffle Hem Dress | Nordstrom $64.90/after sale $99.00: Floral is such a huge trend right now. I have been looking for floral dress to possibly wear to a wedding in September. This might be it! The back button detail is adorable and I like the print. Pair this with some nude heels and I will be good to go! This runs tts.

Current/Elliot The Stiletto High Waist Skinny Jeans | Nordstrom $131.90/after sale $218.00: I love high waisted jeans and I love ‘The Stiletto‘ style from Current/Elliot so this was almost a no brainer. The bottom has the step hem which is a trend I have been wanting to try. Can’t wait to wear these the rest of summer!

Tory Burch Claire Ballerina Flat | Nordstrom $164.90/after sale $258.00-268.00: I’m always on the lookout for some good work flats. Gold is one of my favorite colors and TB flats are usually pretty good for my feet. Staple!

Clarisonic Sensitive Brush Head Set | Nordstrom $74.00/after sale $81.00: If you don’t own a Clarisonic, where have you been? It’ll break your skin out like a mofo in the beginning but after that, it’ll be smooth and clear. These brush head refills are expensive, so why not get them on sale?

Jo Malone London Cologne Collection | Nordstrom $115.00/beauty exclusive (brought in for the event): I love using a fragrance but I never finish them. The bottles are just way too big and I don’t spray enough. These little bottles are perfect and I get to try a few new scents that I haven’t tried before. This brand’s cologne’s are one of the only ones that don’t smell musky on me. A lot of the higher end fragrances have so many notes in them that they clash on me. These smell sweet and fresh!

Hope you enjoyed my list of purchases. Did you find anything at the Anniversary Sale that I need? TELL ME!!! Sale ends in a few weeks. Get shopping (with a Nordstrom card, of course!)!

I hope the everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend! If you follow me on any of my social media, you would have seen that I went to Las Vegas this weekend. I had so much fun! Went to the Backstreet Boys concert at Planet Hollywood (AJ is still my favorite), ate at a lot of really good restaurants, won some money (even though I could have won more if I had stopped when I should have), and did some shopping! Spending some quality time with my friends is always a plus! I did realize this weekend that I am old. Seeing all the young 21 years olds in barely there clothing, super excited about clubbing and open bars made me realize…that’s definitely not me anymore.

Anyway, a few weekends ago I dragged my boyfriend to see the wildflowers in Lake Elsinore. He refused to go to Carlsbad to see the Flower Fields and Antelope Valley to see the Poppy Preserves. Well, I got him to go see the wildflowers off the 15. When we got there, we realized that we needed to do a bit of hiking. We were both not really prepared for that and I was in flip flops. Well, there are some sacrifices you must make for some decent photos.

After a bit of complaining from him, I eventually got him to hike to the wildflowers and take some pictures. Side note – The wildflowers in Lake Elsinore off the 15 freeway are really sporadic. It’s not a beautiful hill filled with them. However, I had a lot of fun hiking up the hill and stopping by Tom’s Farms on the way home. If you haven’t stopped by there before, definitely do it when you’re on your way back from San Diego.

Can you believe it? One year ago today I pressed “Publish” on my first post. One year has flown by so fast. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. That’s how you know I’ve been having fun with this thing. Yes, there are times when I don’t want to work on this (out of sheer laziness and sometimes life just gets in the way). But I have to say, at the end of the day…this is something I enjoy. Taking photos of beauty products, style photoshoots, and writing reviews is fun. Having people tell me that I inspired them to start their own blog, is fun. Having someone ask me for style/beauty advice because they saw my blog, is fun. Plus, it keeps me on my toes and makes me up to date with everything that is going on in the world of fashion and beauty. Without it, I would probably be a slob.

But enough about that milestone. Onto the style post!

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that it’s been raining non-stop here in Southern California. Well, the one day that it stopped (Saturday), you better believe I ran outside and started taking some photos. I’m wearing one of my favorite lip colors – MAC Rebel. It’s not a true red, but almost a purple/burgundy/red. Does that make sense? Anyway, it’s beautiful and I love it.

I got this turtleneck on sale at Anthropologie when they were having a super sale. It’s turned out to be one of those “I don’t know about you” purchases into a “I love you and I’m going to wear you as many times as I can!” purchases. I don’t have any turtlenecks and with the cold weather, it’s the best thing ever. Scarves are not needed when you have this on it’s so warm. Perfect for the weather we are having right now!

I love the holidays. I never used to. I used to hate it with a passion, but ever since I left retail/wholesale, I love November and December. A lot goes on during these two months including 2 whole weeks off for holiday break. Last weekend I went to our team holiday party. I have to say, I am very lucky to have a group of coworkers that I enjoy being around. I was a party animal and did not get home until 1am. We had a nacho bar, white elephant exchange, played King’s Cup and a whole lot of shenanigans that I can’t repeat (but may have been posted on Snapchat).

Anyway, this was my lovely outfit for the holiday party. My closet is not filled with red or green, but I do have this red flannel scarf and red lipstick that I love to wear during the holidays. I bought this scarf last year and it is the warmest, thickest scarf that I have. For these cold winter days we have been having in SoCal, it is the best! The red lipstick? I got it for free from NARS & Sephora for my birthday and it is one of the best reds for Asian skin tones ever. It’s called Cruella which is the best name for it. I paired these two with a comfortable, soft sweater, slim boyfriend jeans, slip-on Converse and I was good to go!

Also, some insider scoop for my readers out there. My favorite store Madewell has a ton of stuff on sale and they have been doing an additional percentage off on top of it! Start looking!

I have a coworker named Stephanie, who has turned into one of my very good friends. When I needed help transitioning into my new job and had a ton of questions, she was happy to answer them. When I started my blog and Instagram, she was one of the first to subscribe and like every single post. When my dad was having health issues, she was there to offer support.

When I found out JORD Wood Watches now does watch engraving, I jumped right on it. After my original JORD Wood Watch post a few months back, Stephanie always commented on how much she loved my watch. I figured, this is the perfect gift to give to thank her for all that she has done for me this past year! The wood engraving that JORD does is great. You can get it on the back plate ($35.00) or the side of the cedar wood presentation box that the watch comes in ($45.00). There are two engraving styles – block and script. It takes up to 7 business days for your watch to be ready to ship after the engraving, so make sure you order early for the holidays! This is not a last minute gift. However, it actually only took about 4 days for my watch to ship.

When it came time to pick a watch for Stephanie, I picked the Frankie 35. Why? Because she loves rose gold and has casually mentioned that the face on my watch is too big for her. Also, I love my Frankie watch. It’s lightweight and really unique because of the wood band. I decided to have Stephanie’s name engraved on the back of the watch. I mean, who hates having their name on something? NO ONE!

I got the watch in the mail and had to open it to make sure that everything was in tip top shape. I was incredibly jealous to see that JORD had updated their presentation boxes. The watch now comes with a magnetic top (instead of the sliding top), a drawer on the bottom to hold supplies, an oil pen for the wood band, and a cloth to clean the watch. WOW! If Stephanie’s name wasn’t engraved on the watch, I may have kept it for myself!!!

It’s the perfect engraved gift! Lucky for my readers, I am working with JORD Wood Watches again this holiday season. Sign up and you will instantly receive a $25 e-giftcard to use towards the purchase of one of their watches or services like engraving. I am already thinking of purchasing a few for my close friends and maybe even a new one for myself!

*This post was brought to you in collaboration with JORD Wood Watches. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog!*